Nine individuals lost their lives, and at least 10 others sustained injuries when a group of armed assailants opened fire in a South African pub in the early hours of Sunday, according to local authorities.

The tragic event unfolded around 1 a.m. in the township of Bekkersdal, situated 46 kilometers (28 miles) west of Johannesburg.

This marks the second mass shooting incident in South Africa within a span of three weeks.

South Africa has witnessed multiple mass shootings in bars, known locally as shebeens or taverns, over the past few years. Earlier this month, a shooting involving several attackers at an unlicensed bar near the nation’s capital resulted in at least 12 fatalities and 13 injuries.

In 2022, another devastating attack claimed the lives of 16 people in the Johannesburg township of Soweto.

On the same day as the Soweto tragedy, a separate shooting at a bar in another province left four people dead.

The second-largest political party in South Africa, the Democratic Alliance, called for a special task force to probe the two recent shootings in the province.

Surrounded by abandoned mine shafts, the Bekkersdal region is notorious for illicit mining operations, which have led to serious social problems, including gang violence and the proliferation of illegal firearms.

With almost 26,000 homicides in 2024, or more than 70 per day on average, South Africa has one of the highest homicide rates in the world.

Firearms are by far the leading cause of death in homicides.

Although the nation of 62 million has comparatively stringent gun control laws, officials say many murders are carried out using illegal firearms.